Jayapura, Jubi – A team from SMA Negeri 1 Jayapura in Papua has reached the final of the Bedah APBD Bangun Daerah competition organised by Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance.
The team chose to examine the accountability of the distribution of regional school operational assistance (BOSDA) in Jayapura through a videographic project.
Mariana Weyai, an economics teacher and the team’s supervisor, said the team was only representative from Papua to make the top six in the senior high school category, put of around 1,7—teams that took part in the initial stage.
“Out of around 1,700 teams, we made it through. SMA Negeri 1 Jayapura actually send two teams, but only one made it to the final,” Mariana told Jubi at SMA Negeri 1 Jayapura in Abepura District, Jayapura, Papua, on Tuesday (06/10/2026).
The team previously made the national top 15 after receiving a high score. Following an interview with the judging panel, it advanced to the top six and secured a place in the final in Jakarta.
The final will be held from 19 to 23 October. The Jayapura team will compete against teams from several regions, including Riau, Sulawesi, Jakarta, which has two teams, and Semarang.
The competition’s broad theme is government governance. The Jayapura team decided to focus on the accountability of BOSDA funding in the city through its videographic project.
“Our videographic project looks at the accountability of BOSDA funding distribution in Jayapura. The students also studied the sources of funding and how regional finances are managed,” Mariana said.
She said the project examined BOSDA not only in terms of educational spending but also within the broader context of regional fiscal policy which concerns on how local governments manage their revenue sources and transfers from the central government.
These sources include Special Autonomy Funds (Otsus), General Allocation Funds (DAU), physical and non-physical Special Allocation Funds (DAK), as well as other regional revenue and funding sources.
“So what we studies was not just how the budget is spent, but the role of fiscal policy in regional financial management, including revenue sources and transfers from the central government,” she said.
Mariana saif the judges had praised the team’s project for examining the management and use of regional education funding while demonstration the students’ understanding of regional financing.
She said support from the Jayapura City Government also helped the students prepare their project, particularly by providing data from the Jayapura Regional Financial and Asset Management Agency (BPKAD).
“The mayor gave us tremendous support, particularly in heling us obtain data from BPKAD Jayapura. The data was extremely helpful and allowed us to develop the videographic project with comprehensive and reliable sources,” she said.
The team has around two weeks to prepare for the final after being announced as one of the six finalists. Preparations are expected to be completed by 17 October before the team travels to Jakarta.
The three team members are Year 11 students at SMA Negeri 1 Jayapura, with different academic interests. One has a stronger interest in social sciences, while the other two are more interested in science.
Mariana said the school supported their participation through BOS funding and contributions from the school committee.
The support was important as the competition has required the students to study and complete various stages over nearly four months.
“This competition has been challenging because we have been learning and going through the different stages for almost four months. If their enthusiasm and perseverance had faded because they were tired, they would not have succeeded. But they are highly motivated to do their best,” she said.
Mariana said the competition had been more than just a contest, giving students an understanding of regional financial management and how regional budgets, known as APBDs, are prepared.
She said knowledge of APBD was important for young people because they could eventually become involved in public services in various fields.
“Even if they don’t eventually work in a finance office — for example, if they become doctors or civil servants in another field — they may one day be involved in budget planning. Through this competition, they are already gaining an understanding of how an APBD is designed,” she said.
The students have also studied the relationship between transfers to regional governments, locally generated revenue and fiscal policy.
Mariana said this knowledge would help them understand how regional governments manage revenue and finance development and public services.
During preparations, she gave the students freedom to develop and present their own work, while ensuring the material remained relevant to the competition’s theme.
“I am only their supervising teacher. I review what they do to make sure they stay on topic. I give them the freedom to present their own work,” she said.
Mariana hopes the team will achieve the best possible result in the Jakarta final.
“I have set the standard for them: SMA Negeri 1 must bring home first place,” she said.
Honai Team leader Michelle Vemesia Rumbiak Wandosa said the students divided their study material according to six modules provided for the competition.
The modules covered regional financial management, physical and non-physical DAK, Special Autonomy Funds, regional incentive funds and village funds.
“We divided the tasks among team members to make the learning process and preparation for the questions easier,” Michelle said.
She said the team was motivated to perform at its best in the final and wanted to show that students from Papua could compete at the national level.
“We are from Papua and want to show that those of us from the eastern part of the country are capable too,” she said.
Michelle said the decision to focus on BOSDA was also influenced by the students’ experience of seeing how the assistance benefited their classmates.
She said some students came from disadvantaged families and had been helped by BOSDA support.
“We see many friends who come from disadvantaged families. BOSDA assistance has helped them a lot. That’s why we wanted to focus on BOSDA funding,” she said.
The team uses the name Honai Papua. Michelle said they chose honai, a traditional Papuan house, because it represents a foundation and togetherness.
“For us, Honai Papua represents a team that works together, building a strong and well-planned foundation for the economy and budgeting,” she said.
The SMA Negeri 1 Jayapura team is now preparing its presentation and materials for the final in Jakarta. It is the only team from Papua among the six senior high school finalists in the Bedah APBD Bangun Daerah competition. (*)
